Thunder Moves Into First Place With 4-3 Win

WICHITA, Kan. (Nov. 13) - Jack Combs scored with 13 seconds left in regulation to push Wichita past Rapid City, 4-3, on Wednesday night at INTRUST Bank Arena. The Thunder moves into first place in the Mountain Division with the victory, now at 19 points.

Combs recorded a pair for the second game in a row while Fabrizio Ricci and Cameron Hebig found the net. Mitch Gillam earned his seventh win of the season, stopping 34 of 37 shots.

Ricci gave Wichita a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 7:47 of the first. He stole the puck near his own blue line, skated up the right wing and beat Ivan Prosvetov while getting undercut to the ice. Rapid City tied it just 1:13 later as Brennan Saulnier beat Gillam on the power play. At 17:44, Dexter Dancs buried a wrist shot from the slot and gave the Rush their first lead of the game, 2-1.

Combs tied the game early in the second period. He caught a long-lead pass from Gillam, skated in with pressure to his right and slid it past Prosvetov for his fourth of the season.

Early in the third, Tyler Poulsen banged home a weird bounce off the end boards to give the Rush a 3-2 lead. Two minutes later, Hebig tied the game with a wrist shot from the slot. Wichita was awarded a late power play when Eric Israel tripped Combs near the Thunder line. He made them pay, scoring his 5th of the season at 19:47. Combs caught a cross-ice pass from Safin, waited for a second and then fired it past Prosvetov's blocker for the eventual game-winner. Gillam stopped one final chance from Rapid City and the Thunder grabbed the win.

Wichita moves alone into first place and leads the entire ECHL with 19 points. Combs has two points in three of his last four games. Hebig netted his first ECHL goal and first in a Thunder uniform. Safin had two helpers.

The Thunder remains home on Friday night to face the Idaho Steelheads starting at 7:05 p.m.

The Thunder are excited to be the host of the 2020 Warrior Hockey/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by Toyota, on Wednesday January 22, 2020. Get your tickets now for the league's annual showcase that features some of the best young talent across the ECHL by clicking here.

Season tickets for the 2019-20 season are on sale now. Get your seats for just $34 per month. All it takes is a $1 deposit per seat to reserve yours today. To learn more, click here or contact a Thunder representative at the office today!

Follow along with us on our social media platforms on Facebook (@wichitathunder1), Twitter (@wichita_thunder), Snapchat (wichthunder), Instagram (Wichita_Thunder) and LinkedIn.

-Thunder-